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I posted this over on scoobymods.com (I am known as dark_vandal on all the other subaru forums except this one) and wanted to post it here for you all to see.... a lot of people wanted to see this, so here it is.

Here are some materials you might like to get before doing this:

I'd recommend Q tips, tooth picks, and a heavy duty remover (i.e. Goof Off). nailpolish doesn't really work (I tried it). Just whatever you use, don't use something that is harmful to plastics. Goof Off is pushing it, but I didn't notice it eating away at the badge plastic.

The Steps:

1. First you need to pop your stock badge off from the car. This is relatively easy to do, but be careful to do it slowly. You'll want to take the grill off the car (4 clips) and then heat the badge with a blow dryer for several minutes... the hotter the better. Then use something thin (i.e., a butter knife) and pry the badge from the grill (I'd recommend using a cloth so as to not scratch it... you should also pry from the underside of the badge (bottom) so in case you do scratch it, it will not be noticeable when it is on the car.)

2. Here we have our badge off the car. I actually did this to an '03 WRX badge (my WRX is an '02). I like the 03 badge more, as the stars are bigger and just look nicer IMO.

Here is the reverse side of the badge. It is basically chrome inserts covered by blue paint.

3. First off, start off by using some of the goof-off to start removing the blue paint. It comes off pretty easy. Use a Q-tip saturated in the remover to rub off the paint. You might also pour some of the remover on the badge and let it soak so as to soften up the paint. As you do this, most of the chrome will start to come off the badge. However, little fleks of chrome will remain in the edges of the stars. I used a toothpick to scratch at these and remove them. This part was a PITA and took a very long time. Continually inspect the badge until you remove all the chrome.

4. Next, clean the badge very well with soap and water. let it dry well. Check again that no chrome specs are in the stars. Your badge should look like this from the reverse. You'll see some remaining paint on mine on the edges, but this doesn't matter as you can't see it from the front.

5. Now it is time to paint the stars and the loop. I did this with some red caliper paint i had left over. I just sprayed it into a cup and brushed it on. I had some paint thinner and paper towel handy to wipe off any mistakes i made (it is pretty easy to paint the wrong part of the badge, especially considering the nooks are so small.

6. Give your badge 3-4 coats, allowing enough time to dry between each coat, like any other paint job. Make sure you have enough coats so that when you hold it up to the light, no light can get through the paint. It should look like this:

This is to prevent any paint from seeping onto the face of the badge when you paint.

8. Spray paint the badge's back face with any color you'd like. Just like any paint job, start slow, and do multiple light coats.

The reverse side now:

9. Throw on a few coats of clear coat for protection.

10. Now you're done! The finished product:

11, Reinstall. I actually drilled some holes behind where the badge mounts to the grill. That way, I can just pop it off from the reverse side with a screwdriver if i ever have to remove it again. To attach, just use some strips of 3M automotive double sided tape. It works very well.

Here it is on my car... I did red/black to match my color scheme and wheels. I'm very happy with the way it turned out:

Theres another thread on this. You would just remove the blue paint from the emblem and leave the chrome in place then repaint the badge in the color of your choice. This is what I did with mine. But after seeing the red on black, i may be a copycat and redo mine just like the OP...

man that photoshop is sweet! I wish i was a better photo-shopper.... that is done very well. I wish i could get those headlights (I love them) but as you can probably tell I am a poor college student and most of my mods are DIY things...

First up will be some 17x8s and the rest of my suspension work. then i might someday consider the JDM headlights... someday... how much do they cost?

man that photoshop is sweet! I wish i was a better photo-shopper.... that is done very well. I wish i could get those headlights (I love them) but as you can probably tell I am a poor college student and most of my mods are DIY things...

First up will be some 17x8s and the rest of my suspension work. then i might someday consider the JDM headlights... someday... how much do they cost?

I didn't want to spend the money on the JDM projectors either, the EDM version are about $1200 and the JDM's are about $800 new... so I made my own

I didn't want to spend the money on the JDM projectors either, the EDM version are about $1200 and the JDM's are about $800 new... so I made my own

Nice! Definitely interested in this (and other homebrew mods). You should write up a tutorial or tell me how...

Quote:

Originally Posted by 02wrbrex

Hey what did you tint your corner markers with?

well nightshades is probably a good choice... but no local places have it. and getting it shipped is expensive as it is a "hazardous" material. so I actually used some transparent black paint that is typically used for RC car tint (I guess they spray the inside of the lexan bodies to give it a window tint). anyways, just used that stuff... it's kind of an odd paint... after lots of prep and very light coats and clear coating, it still fades. it lasts about a year in the NM sun... after that i usually just re-paint it. I am tempted to just take out the bulbs and spray it black with real paint, but that wouldn't reall be a safe thing to do.

but with the transparent black the light still shines through. it is a lot dimmer, but still noticeable.